El presente artículo analiza la obra de Rodolfo Senet (1872-1938), representante de la psicología naturalista de comienzos del siglo XX en Argentina. Particularmente se aborda su pensamiento sobre dos singulares objetos de conocimiento: “la mujer” y el personaje étnico “gaucho”, habitante prístino de la llanura pampeana. De los mismos, tomando ensayos, artículos e informes de investigaciones del autor, se estudian sus caracterizaciones sobre diferentes dimensiones psicológicas mostrando similitudes y diferencias entre ambas figuras. Finalmente se analiza cómo dichas características respondían a una pregunta mayor sobre la identidad nacional y la posibilidad de progreso para los habitantes del suelo argentino
The present article analyzes the work of Rodolfo Senet (1872-1938), who is representative of the naturalistic psychology of the early twentieth century in Argentina. Particularly, his thoughts on two singular objects of knowledge are addressed: “the woman” and the ethnic character “gaucho” who was a pristine inhabitant of the Pampas plain. By analyzing the author’s essays, articles and research reports on these characters his characterizations on psychological dimensions are studied, showing similarities and differences between both prototypical figures. It is finally considered how these typifications were an answer to a bigger question about national identity and the possibility of progress for the inhabitants of the Argentine soil